Front Page
“Now, law minister pushes for SC/ST quota in lower judiciary” reads the Times of India’s leading story. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad spoke to TOI in an exclusive interview on “the need for the judiciary to be more representative”.
“Those selected can be allotted states to serve in and reservation will create opportunities for well-trained judicial officers from deprived sections who will, over time, rise to higher positions,” the report quotes him saying.
The Hindu and Hindustan Times lead with the inauguration of India’s longest bridge in Assam on the birth anniversary of the erstwhile PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The strategic bridge, reports The Hindu, “would not only improve the livelihoods of millions of people in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Mr. Modi said, but would also serve as a boon to the defence forces.”
Modi “pointed out that the project could have been completed by 2007-08 had former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee got another term in 2004,” reports HT. It also quotes him as saying, “There can’t be a better tribute to Atal-ji on his birthday.”
The Indian Express reserves its reportage on the bridge to pages 5 and 6, but puts a photograph on its front page anyway. In the Express, a bit of international news makes the leading story: Bangladesh’s elections. With 5 days left for the parliamentary polls to begin, the Awami League and opposition alliance stand with swords drawn “over growing instances of violence and denial of permission for a campaign rally.”
Farmer distress makes it back into the news, with HT and the Economic Times putting it on front page flap and front page, respectively. “Farmer De-stress: Govt Set to Play Santa as Polls Near” reads the ET headline. The changes include “doubling collateral-free loans under Kisan Credit Cards” and widening coverage under the government’s crop insurance scheme.
In its ‘Explained’ page, the Express says that “for farmers, the main concern today is prices for their produce”, adding that sugarcane will pose the biggest problem for the Modi government because it produces “arrears of Rs 3,557.29 crore”, one of the highest among crops sold. It concludes, “The one big reform that the next government at the Centre, irrespective of who leads it, could seriously consider is direct benefit transfer (DBT) payments to farmers.”
HT’s short analysis on the matter agrees. “The contours of the current farm crisis are radically different from issues in the rest of the economy. This is because the problem is rooted in prices and not production growth,” it writes.
“To be sure, the government has tried to undo the damage by announcing a significant hike in Minimum Support Prices earlier this year, but this has not arrested the deflation in farm prices so far. The implications of the viability crisis in agriculture are far from over,” it adds.
The most popular editorial topic Wednesday is India’s role in the Chabahar port operations in Iran. The port is significant because of where it’s placed: it makes accessing Central Asia easier and direct. In “Why the port is a win-win for India”, HT says the merits of the port extend further. “By generating economic returns, it might help in reducing the political divergence on Afghanistan that has, of late, emerged between India on the one hand and Iran and Russia on the other. Chabahar is a rare example of a project in the region which is a win-win for all stakeholders,” it says.
“Visions of Chabahar’s immense potential as a game-changer for prosperity and stability in the region must, however, necessarily be tempered by the reality of geopolitical challenges,” writes The Hindu. It adds, “The Chabahar port has received a waiver from the U.S. sanctions on Iran for the moment, but these concessions could be withdrawn any time, given the constant upheaval in the administration…With Chabahar, India has done well to keep a place in the intricate connectivity network of the region. Given all the competing interests that criss-cross over Chabahar, it will require sustained and nuanced diplomacy to stay ahead in this game.”
Prime Time
India Today and Republic TV debated whether offering Namaz in a park is fundamental right or a nuisance.
According to a notice issued by local police last week, multinational companies in Sector-58 of Noida will be held liable if their staff offers Namaz in public.
Muslim Political Council of India president T.A. Rehmani said that it is an age old tradition while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anila Singh said that the opposition is trying to malign the government’s identity.
Rehmani said, “India is a country where anyone from any religion can offer prayers at any place. It is hardly a half-an-hour affair.”
Singh said, “Can Muslim offer public namaz across United States or England? This is an agenda of the opposition to blame the BJP government.”
Republic TV
On Republic TV, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the constitution of the country should be applied for all religions while All India Imam Association president Maulana Sajid Rashidi asked why the issue of offering prayers has suddenly become a problem.
Patra said, “The constitution of this country is sacrosanct. If permission has to be sought to pray then it applied for all religions.”
Rashidi said, “Whoever prays anywhere, whether it is Namaz or a Pooja. What is the problem?”
Aaj Tak
On the occasion of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 94th birth anniversary, Aaj Tak played some lines from his poem Geeta Naya Gaata Hoon.
“Geet naya gaata hoon…
Toote hue sapno ki sune kaun siski?
Antar ko cheer vyatha palkon par thithki,
Haar nahi maanoonga,
Raar nahi thanoonga,
Kaal ke kapal par likhta-mitaata hoon
Geet naya gaata hoon, geet naya gaata hoon”
Tweets of the day
Yes, now it’s complete. Attempted another World record on the eve of #Christmas through installation of 30ft high & 100ft wide #SantaClaus on Sand with Plastic bottles. Let’s get #readytochange and #BeatPlasticPollution. pic.twitter.com/HzsOZSoXEo
— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) December 24, 2018
While the richest man spends 700 crs for his daughter's wedding, 1.77 million ppl sleep without a roof in our country. Each winter, we hear of them in stats of dead. Jesus would have stood up against this vulgar inequality.#MerryChristmas everyone. Celebrate, but remember his msg
— Umar Khalid (@UmarKhalidJNU) December 25, 2018